Small-business realities

Gabrielle Dion is only into her seventh month of being a small-business owner, but she's already gathered a wealth of business know-how, she says. Here are some of her recent lessons as a first-time entrepreneur.

• You can't do everything. Looking back, Dion wishes she would've hired someone part time to help with administrative details.

• Involve family when possible. Dion's father, a former engineer, built the bar by the cash register, shelving and the rack that houses part of her bitters collection. Her mom, who has invested in the business, babysits Dion's 19-month-old daughter, Bijou.

• Consider offering classes. They're an additional revenue stream, and you get to know the community you serve.

As much as she liked the challenge, the little sleep logged after shifts was taking a toll on the Orange County mom.

“I have a daughter; she’s 19 months old,” said Dion, 31. “Getting home at 1-2 a.m. and getting up at 5-6 a.m. wasn’t treating me well.”

Trying to balance family and her craft while riding the DIY cocktail rage, Dion decided to start up her own drink-supply shop open to the public.

The Mixing Glass, located inside The OC Mix in Costa Mesa, features items that she believes can help amateurs and die-hard foodies make quality cocktails at home.

The hospitality veteran picked everything in the store – including the muddlers, hard-to-find liquors and 120 kinds of bitters – based on what she’d use behind the bar, conversations with other drink experts and her own adventures.

“I opened my dreamland,” said the first-time entrepreneur.

The inspiration for her business, which she bootstrapped with her mom’s help, came out of frustration.

As the bar manager at Broadway by Amar Santana in Laguna Beach, her previous post, she would order products that often disappointed because of false advertising or bad quality.

“I thought, ‘I can’t be the only one,’” said Dion, who serves as the restaurant’s cocktail consultant and still picks up shifts here and there.

That prompted her to open up her own store, stocked with items she’s found reliable or recently discovered.

The concept-to-retailer process was quicker than expected.

She submitted her name in September into an annual liquor-license lottery. By October, Dion was chosen to get a license, which cost roughly $17,000.

It was full speed ahead after that.

Her mom, a nurse, came on as a silent investor, and Dion raced to find a retail space by the first of the year.

She applied for a spot at indie shopping center The OC Mix, and went through a “pretty arduous” interview to prove her idea was more craft boutique than booze den.

The vibe is far from the latter.

Four rows of bitters boasting flavors such as Old Bay seasoning and Thai spice line one part of a split-pea green wall. Above that are images of shrubs and leaves on clipboards to show that bitters are botanical-based.

That area is flanked by shelves of meticulously stocked liquors, from rums to gins, not typically found at big-box spirits retailers.

By the register, customers will see the cocktail of the week, an idea Dion and her staff recently launched.

The featured recipe on a recent weekday was a variation of an Old Fashioned, traditionally made with a spirit, sugar, bitters and water.

Dion admits that her prices can be higher than those at a corporate store, but what sets her apart, she says, is more personable customer service.

In fact, an important part of the store’s concept is education.

Staff is available to show customers how to use their newly purchased wares and liquors.

Those wanting a deeper lesson can sign up for one of the store’s regular classes. They usually cost $40-$60, and in the past, have covered concepts such as how to make a tiki drink and bar mechanics. Classes sell out quickly.

Dion attributes their popularity to the craft-cocktail movement that has gained momentum in recent years. These drinks tend to be pricier (think $10-15), but they’re more elaborate and require more skill to make.

Popular ingredients have included egg whites (to make drinks frothy) and bitters, which Dion compares to salt and pepper in the food world.

Dion’s store also features products from craft distillers, whose presence in the overall liquor market has grown in the past decade.

Based on different trade groups, micro-distilleries, who largely produce fewer than 50,000 cases a year, have shot up to 250-600 compared to the 50-70 operating in the early 2000s.

Gabrielle Dion opened up her own craft-cocktail store called The Mixing Glass at The OC Mix in Costa Mesa. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Orange County hospitality veteran Gabrielle Dion opened up The Mixing Glass earlier this year. The shop, located inside The OC Mix in Costa Mesa, features items that she believes can help customers make quality cocktails at home. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Mixing Glass at The OC Mix features a large selection of the Italian herbal liqueur Amaro. Gabrielle Dion, a first-time entrepreneur, opened up the craft-cocktail store earlier this year. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Gabrielle Dion, former bar manager at Broadway By Amar Santana in Laguna Beach, wanted to spend more time with her daughter, so she decided to leave full-time bartending and open up her own craft-cocktail store called The Mixing Glass at The OC Mix in Costa Mesa. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
At The Mixing Glass, customers will see shelves of meticulously stocked liquors, from rums to vodkas, not typically found at big-box spirits retailers. The store opened at The OC Mix earlier this year. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Mixing Glass at The OC Mix features a unique selection of bitters, including Old Bay flavor and Thai spice. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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